Apparatus for tightening handhole covers



Aug. 18; 192.5.

1 550 285- G. s. SHERMAN APPARATUS FOR TIGHTENING HAN DHOLE COVERS FiledJam-51 1925 E $5 aaii:

INVENTOR George Sale Ska/marl ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES GEORGE SALE SHERMAN, OF WESTBURY, NEW YORK.

APPARATUS non TIGHTENING HANDHOLE co vnns;

Application filed January 31; 1925. Serial No. 6,104.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonen SALE SHER- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in Westbury, Lon Island, in the county of Nassau, Stateof Flew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inApparatus for Tightening Handhole Covers, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to hand hole covers, more especially to pressedsteel hand hole caps which are inserted in a header or water leg of aboiler, oil still, vator other device in which tubes are used and hasfor its object the production of a tool that will easily force intoplace a cover that will remain tight and to further provide a method oftightening any cover around which leaks appear after pressure is putupon the boiler or vat or the like.

In boilers, superheaters, oil stills. rats or the like using tubularconstruction, the tubes are usually expanded into one side of a hollowheader or water leg and on the opposite walls are a series of holesclosed by hand hole covers or caps provided for the purpose ofinspection, cleaning or renewing of the tubes. These hand holes areclosed either by means of cast iron or dropped forged steel plates heldin position by means of bolts and yokes or arches bearing against theoutside of the water leg sheet, or may be of pressed sheet steel whichare cupped and tapered on the outside and inserted from the inside sothat steam pressure tends to make them tighter. These covers or caps areinserted in the holes from the pressure side and tapped with a hammerwhich usually seats them sufficiently to make them tight; as soon aspressure is put on the boiler the covers become tighter. If by anychance a leak occurs the water leg is struck by a hammer along side theleaking cover to bring the cover straight on its seat. This blowsometimes fractures the water leg sheet between the hand holes. Toprevent any possibility of such damage which is not only very costly andalways results in the shutting down of the plant, I have designed myapparatus which will draw the cup shaped hand hole covers into placequickly.

The foregoing and other features of my invention will now be describedin connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification in which I have represented my tool in its preferredelevation of my tool in Figure 3 illustrates the method employed fortightening the hand'hole cap.

Figure 4 is adetail of my gripping fingers designed to be turned aroundto take care of a larger or smaller cap.

In the carrying out of my invention I employ a yoke or arch 10 having aplurality of legs 11. In the drawing I have illustrated an arch withthree legs but a greater or less number may be employed; Mounted in thearch 10 is a nut 20 free to turn therein and held from sliding out byany means such as pin 21 in the yoke and slot 22 in the periphcry of thenut. On the outer end of the nut I provide a hand wheel or handles 25 radially disposed so that the nut can be conveniently turned in the yoke.A screw 30 is provided to operatein the nut and carries on its end aconical head 81. Interposed between the head 31 and the nut 20 I providea sliding collar 40 which carries a plurality of spring actuated,pivotally mounted, gripping aws 41. These jaws are provided with camfaces 42 which slide upon the inclined face of the conical head of thescrew. The collar 40 is connected with the plunger 50 which slides in ahole inthe center of the screw 30 by means of a screw or pin 51. Theplunger 50 is provided with a handle 52 on its outer end by means ofwhich the collar 30 may be moved along the screw expanding the grippingjaws as they move along the conical face of the head thereof. It will beobserved that in Figure 4: the gripping jaw 41 may be designed to beturned around. The cam 42 on one end is larger than the cam on the otherwhich relatively increases the range of the jaws in gripping hand holecaps of diiferent sizes.

Referring now to Figure 8 I have shown a diagrammatical section of a.header 60 of a boiler, still or the like, showing the hand hole 61opposite the tube. In carrying out my method a cup shaped cap 63 isplaced in the hole from the pressure side of the header and my tool isthen placed on the other side so that the legs 11 of the arch areagainst the outside of the header straddling the hole. By pushing thehandle 52 the jaws 41 are brought into contact with the inside of thecap 63. By turning the hand wheel or handles 25 the screw 30 is drawninto the nut 20 and likewise the conical head forces the jaws ll to takehold of the cap 63. Any further turning draws the cap tightly into itshole as will be readily understood.

I wish it distinctly understood that my apparatus for tightening handhole covers herein described and illustrated is in the form in which Idesire to construct it and that changes or variations may be made as maybe convenient or desirable without departing from the salient featuresof my invention and I therefore intend the following claims to coversuch modifications as naturally lall within the lines of invention.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising in combination; a yokeprovided with a plurality of legs; a nut mount-ed to rotate in the archof said yoke; ascrew adapted to turn in the nut and provided with aconeshaped head; a collaradapted to slide on the screw between the nut andthe head, and provided with a plurality of pivotedly mounted, springactuated gripping jaws, the ends of said jaws adapted to ride on thecone, means to adjust the position of the jaws on the cone, means toturn the nut and thereby draw the gripping jaws outwardly andlongitudinally.

2. A device of the class described comprising in combination; a yokeprovided with a plurality of legs; a nut mounted to rotate in the yoke;a screw adapted to turn in the nut having a conical head; a sleeveadapted to slide on the screw between the nut and the head, and providedwith a plurality of gripping jaws, meansto adjust the position of thejaws on the conical head, means to turn the nut and thereby draw thegripping aws outwardly and longitudinally.

3. A device of the class described comprising in combination; a yokeprovided with a rotating nut; a screw adapted to work within the nut andprovided with a conical head; means interposed between the conical headand nut for adjustably carrying a pluraliy of gripping jaws, means toturn the nut whereby the jaws are forced outwardly and at the same timemoved longitudinally.

4. A device of the class described comprising in combination; ayokeprovided with a rotating nut; a screw adapted to work within the nut forreciprocal motion and provided with a conical head; a collar adapted toslide on the screw between the nut and the head, and provided with aplurality of interchangeable gripping jaws adapted to ride upon thecone; means to provide adjustment of the gripping jaws on the conicalhead, means to draw the cone within the jaws and move the cone and jawslongitudinally.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE SALE SHERMAN.

